Demand for better payloads to spur UAV tech advances

By Defense Systems Staff

Oct 25, 2011

Global spending on payloads and subsystems for unmanned aerial vehicles is expected to reach $2.9 billion in 2011 as companies continue to enter the market or expand their existing capabilities to provide military forces with the equipment to conduct unmanned intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communication and attack missions, reports ASDNews.

The findings, set forth in Visiongain's "The UAV Payload and Subsystems Market 2011-2012," indicate that companies delivering technologies in this area are addressing the need of military forces for more advanced imagery, stronger processing power, higher-capacity storage solutions, intensified electronic warfare capabilities and sharper intelligence for UAVs.

Military customers want sensor packages that can provide more on-board autonomy, less burdensome weaponry and more sensitive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance without an exponential jump in costs or weight, the article states.